Campus crime levels have stayed relatively static from 2001 to 2003, according to Public Safety Chief Mike McNair and the Annual Security Report, published Oct. 1.
McNair said that the levels have stayed the same because AU is in a low crime area. Although trends in certain types of crimes rise and fall over time, they result in a zero net change, according to Sergeant Gary Folckemer, Public Safety's public informations officer. The crime report includes statistics from 2001 to 2003. Statistics for 2004 crime will be released next fall.
In light of the gropings that took place in fall 2003, Folckemer believes students are more likely to report complaints due to increased awareness of campus security. When parents ask about this statistic, they are told that between four and five instances occur every year, and sometimes plus or minus two, Flockemer said.
Five forcible sex offenses occurred in both 2001 and 2003 and four in 2002, according to the report. In both 2001 and 2002, three of those offenses occurred in a residence hall, while none did in 2003, the report stated.
In October and November 2003, a man looked in on a woman showering in Anderson, and four female students were groped at different times while walking on campus, The Eagle previously reported. Public Safety increased patrols as a result.
Some students felt rattled by the gropings.
"I feel safer, but I was not unsafe my freshman year. Last year with the gropings made me feel more unsafe than usual," said Christie Moquin, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"I feel safe ... [but] the Blue Lights are a problem because, for instance, there is one on the side of Hughes and McDowell halls, but not on the way to the Eagle's Nest," said Lindsey Marburger, a freshman in the School of International Service.
Compared to other D.C. schools, Georgetown University had one sexual assault in 2002 and George Washington University had 11, The Eagle previously reported.
Burglary on campus has also increased, from 33 instances in 2001 to 17 in 2002 and 32 in 2003.
In 2002, George Washington had 87 robberies on its main campus, The Eagle reported.
At AU, the three incidents of arson in 2003 were also high compared with none the previous two years.
However, motor vehicle theft on the property around main campus has decreased from 30 occurrences in 2001 to 32 in 2002 and 25 in 2003.
Folckemer also reported that although alcohol violations decreased in previous years - going from 306 instances of on-campus disciplinary actions on liquor law violations in 2001 to 452 in 2002 and 200 in 2003 - they have increased greatly in 2004, according to Folckemer, though statistics are not available yet. Folckemer attributes this to more university discipline.
Drug law violations on main campus also decreased, going from 141 on-campus disciplinary actions on violations in 2001 to 142 in 2002 and 57 in 2003.
Other types of crime go up and down throughout the semester, "like a teeter-totter," Folckemer said.
Students feel safe, some even despite personal experiences with crime.
"I attend the law school and I feel safe, although my house is down the street from the law school, and it got broken into last month," Michael Ceccorulli, a second-year law student.
The statistics are gathered in an unscientific fashion, according to Folckemer.
Making comparisons between years is not useful and doesn't give any useful information, according to McNair, because of different conditions, locations and policing approaches.
Each year, universities are required to publish a report containing crime statistics and current campus policies. The requirement comes from the Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which Congress passed in 1991 and officially went into effect on Sept. 1, 1992.
To report a crime, call Public Safety at x3636 for emergencies or x2525 for non-emergencies.
Eagle Staff Writer Kate Oczypok contributed to this report.
